Widget (New York World Journal Tribune)
The "Widget" was the short-lived New York World Journal Tribune. It marked the sad end of many once-proud New York City newspapers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_World_Journal_Tribune
The New York World-Telegram and Sun merged with the New York Journal American and the New York Herald Tribune to become the short-lived New York World-Journal-Tribune, nicknamed "The Widget" from the initials of its long and unwieldy name. The newspaper industry was struggling with financial troubles by the mid-1960s and had warned their unions that they could not survive a strike; in 1966 the unions struck anyway, for over 100 days. The World Journal Tribune was a last-ditch attempt to resurrect the two papers, plus the New York Journal American, as one merged entity, an evening paper, but it was essentially stillborn, with only a few numbers produced before it became apparent that the enterprise was not going to be economically viable. Its first issue was published September 12, 1966, and it ceased to exist eight months later, on May 5, 1967.
6 May 1967, Washington Post, pg. A4:
End of 3 Empires
"Widget" Writes "30"
On 134-Year Story
By Andrew J. Gass
The World Journal-Tribune, a frail hybrid that died yesterday after only eight months, erased from the New York scene the last vestige of three proud publishing empires with 18 newspaper ancestors and a 134-year history.
The paper was founded March 21, 1966, through a merger of the morning Herald Tribune with two afternoon dailies -- the Hearst organization's Journal-American and the Scripps-Howard World-Telegram & Sun.
The WJT -- or "Widget," as it was known among its staff members -- was first published last year after a 140-day strike that drained much of its editorial talent. It never maintained a Washington bureau, nor did it hire any foreign correspondents.
19 January 1997, New York Times, F.Y.I. by Daniel B. Schneider, pg. CY2:
Strikes by several newspaper unions in the 1960's began to topple the city's remaining dailies. The mirror declared bankruptcy in 1963; in 1966 The Journal-American and The World-Telegram and Sun combined with The Herald Tribune to form the hopelessly hybrid New York World Journal Tribune, which was immediately nicknamed Widget by a doubting public. A four-month strike delayed the paper's debut until Sept. 12, 1966. The Widget folded in May 1967.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_World_Journal_Tribune
The New York World-Telegram and Sun merged with the New York Journal American and the New York Herald Tribune to become the short-lived New York World-Journal-Tribune, nicknamed "The Widget" from the initials of its long and unwieldy name. The newspaper industry was struggling with financial troubles by the mid-1960s and had warned their unions that they could not survive a strike; in 1966 the unions struck anyway, for over 100 days. The World Journal Tribune was a last-ditch attempt to resurrect the two papers, plus the New York Journal American, as one merged entity, an evening paper, but it was essentially stillborn, with only a few numbers produced before it became apparent that the enterprise was not going to be economically viable. Its first issue was published September 12, 1966, and it ceased to exist eight months later, on May 5, 1967.
6 May 1967, Washington Post, pg. A4:
End of 3 Empires
"Widget" Writes "30"
On 134-Year Story
By Andrew J. Gass
The World Journal-Tribune, a frail hybrid that died yesterday after only eight months, erased from the New York scene the last vestige of three proud publishing empires with 18 newspaper ancestors and a 134-year history.
The paper was founded March 21, 1966, through a merger of the morning Herald Tribune with two afternoon dailies -- the Hearst organization's Journal-American and the Scripps-Howard World-Telegram & Sun.
The WJT -- or "Widget," as it was known among its staff members -- was first published last year after a 140-day strike that drained much of its editorial talent. It never maintained a Washington bureau, nor did it hire any foreign correspondents.
19 January 1997, New York Times, F.Y.I. by Daniel B. Schneider, pg. CY2:
Strikes by several newspaper unions in the 1960's began to topple the city's remaining dailies. The mirror declared bankruptcy in 1963; in 1966 The Journal-American and The World-Telegram and Sun combined with The Herald Tribune to form the hopelessly hybrid New York World Journal Tribune, which was immediately nicknamed Widget by a doubting public. A four-month strike delayed the paper's debut until Sept. 12, 1966. The Widget folded in May 1967.